Every week, we’re here to remind you of the artists we love and think you oughta know. 

“Yes I write folk songs…..and I chase weird atmospheric sounds.” That’s why you oughta know Elijah Wolf, a designated “singer-songwriter” from the Catskills who reminds us that there is more to folk music than meets the ear. New York lifer, Wolf’s second album Brighter Lighting is a project of creative collaboration, brought to life through a melding of talents. Featuring friends like Photay with his Buchla synthesizer, Josh Jaeger’s (of Angel Olsen) drumming, Nels Cline (of Wilco) with his Wilco-esque guitar spin, and the orchestral touch of producer Sam Cohen, Brighter Lighting emerges next month on 2/26. 

Rewind to the fall of 2019. At this point, half of the Brighter Lighting has already been recorded when Wolf decides to join long time friend and musician Photay on the road for his tour supporting The Cinematic Orchestra, a “British Nu Jazz music group.” Taking a break from the stagnancy of recording, Wolf and Photay share their tracks-in-progress to each other while winding through America’s naturescapes. 

Their last stop is in LA and with newfound invigoration, Wolf bounces back home to NYC to record the rest of the album with a little help from his friends. From a young age, Wolf picked up gigs that got his foot in the door, as many do. When committing to artistry, there are floors to be swept, even at the legendary Levon Helm Studios where he once interned. Fast forward to the present and the tight-knit Catskills music-sphere has opened wider to include the faces we see on the record.

He arrives in the studio ready to record with Nels Cline, after what felt like “a few sleepless months.” On recording with Cline, a friend and inspiration, Wolf emphasizes that “this was one of the best days [I’ve] ever had in-studio, also the same day we recorded with Photay’s Buchla synthesizer. Evan [Photay] and I said, ‘Let’s show Nels the synthesizer!’ He walks in and says, ‘Ah the Buchla,’ leading into a story about how he knows the Buchla family and they built him something. Of course. He was prepared with his huge pedalboard that he uses both for Wilco with this little table set up. It was insane.” 

Aside from the high points of playing with “the Buchla” alongside Nels Cline, this album is about positivity and growth for Wolf. Recording his first solo project alone in his bedroom On The Mtn Laurel Rd to Brighter Lighting is like the difference between night and day. “Recording the first album was intense. It made me question if I would make another album.” Brighter Lighting is an opposite force that propelled Wolf, still at the early stages of his musical career, into a spiral of collaborative creativity. This was the first time he felt that “studio magic” as he recalls, i.e. “hitting a great take with Sam and Aaron in the studio, just the three of us together with guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. I’ve never felt that before.” “At Times / At Night” is a pre-released single off the album, demonstrating the synergy between Wolf and friends—Photay, Jaeger, and Cohen. Just singing “Sleepless at times. At time. At night. At time. At night….” in a subtle hush trails us into the end of the song, prompting our ears to desire more which shortly, we’ll be able to indulge with the full 10 tracks of sonic and lyrical ambience. 

Although the dream is to get the whole band together for a show one day, Wolf has been able to breath new life into the album’s songs in his live streams (@elijahwolf). He shares, “What people don’t think about very often with acoustic guitar is that you can play bass line chords and melody just like piano. It’s been fun to take Sam Cohen’s bass lines and play my chords while singing the melodies above it all. The process of learning these songs on an acoustic guitar has made me a better guitarist.” 

When listening to Brighter Lighting, the energy and positivity that guided the album radiates. From completing his first album to the second, Wolf went from depletion to euphoria. Wolf has plans to ride on this album’s energy and mix of musical minds. He hopes to be even more collaborative in the next project where brighter lighting illuminates brighter lives, sounds, and friends.